Free-Agent Contracts Dolphins Must Pursue After Preseason

After a 2-1 preseason in which the Miami Dolphins pared their roster down to 53 players, the season is set to start with a road game against the division rival New England Patriots. 

The Dolphins once again had a busy offseason. They drafted some more help for Tua Tagovailoa in the form of Jaylen Waddle and Liam Eichenberg, and they invested in the defense with the selection of Jaelan Phillips. 

They were active players in free agency, too. Will Fuller V will be forced to complete his six-game suspension from last season in the game against the Pats, but he'll be in the lineup in Week 2. 

The work of an NFL GM is never truly complete. While the Dolphins appear to be set with their 53, the flurry of cuts around the league has left some talented players without a home.

Here's a look at some options Miami might be interested in at least talking to as it prepares for the start of the new season. 

If there's a spot on the defense that could use some more competition, it's linebacker. Jerome Baker is a proven stud but outside of him there are still a lot of lesser-known commodities. 

The team decided to part ways with Benardrick McKinney on August 31, making the unit even less experienced.

If the Dolphins are willing to give some young guys opportunities, Kamal Martin is an option worth considering. He started six games for the Packers last season as a fifth-round pick in 2020. He showed off some versatility as he blitzed 12 times and registered a quarterback sack and hit with his limited action. 

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur praised the 23-year-old for his character and work ethic while acknowledging it wasn't easy to let him walk. 

"He is a big, long, physical athlete that can really run, and he's a great kid, great person. That was one of the tougher ones that we've had to make in our two years here," he said, per Zach Kruse of Packers Wire.

Given Martin's experience as a starter last season and his untapped potential, he may be a better option than some of the linebackers the team has on the practice squad right now. 

In an ideal world, the Dolphins are actually set at both tackle spots: Austin Jackson proves he is a starting left tackle in his second season and either Jesse Davis or Liam Eichenberg show they are capable of protecting Tua Tagovailoa's blind spot on the right. 

But that's a lot of hypotheticals there, and it doesn't take long for the team to be on Option C at tackle. Jackson was recently put on the COVID-19 reserve list so it's unclear how long he will be out, and backup Greg Little missed practice on Monday. 

Good help at tackle is hard to find, but if things get off to a shaky start, it would be worth giving Mitchell Schwartz a call. 

The 32-year-old has been a starter in the league for the Cleveland Browns or Kansas City Chiefs for all nine of his NFL seasons until he missed the last 10 games of last year with a back injury. 

The lineman is still recovering from back surgery but could be a starting-caliber option if and when he is healthy. The Dolphins have a few weeks as they are likely to give a combination of Jackson, Davis and Eichenberg the opportunity to prove they can do it. 

If they can't, though, Schwartz should be on speed dial. 

Going into the offseason, the Dolphins were widely expected to draft a running back or become a player in the free-agent market for one. 

That didn't really turn out to be the case. The team appears set to make Myles Gaskin the lead back. He showed enough for that to make sense in 2021, but it would still be wise for them to explore their options. And one just became available in longtime Saints backup Latavius Murray.

The Dolphins' other options in the backfield are Malcolm Brown and Salvon Ahmed. Brown is listed as No. 2 on the depth chart but doesn't offer much as a pass-catcher. He caught just 23 of his 33 targets with the Rams last season. 

Ahmed had a few good games as the starter in 2020 but only played in six total. He doesn't bring much to the table from an athletic standpoint that Brown doesn't still have. 

Murray would bring an experienced option to the depth chart and a reliable set of hands out of the backfield for Tagovailoa. He proved he can be a valuable asset as a second back with some good Saints offenses.

Bringing the 31-year-old in on a one-year deal would make the backfield more reliable.